lindata

I am so sick of being angry at everything, all the little things in life. What are some ways of letting go of anger that you have found helpful? I need more Zen in my life.

I feel doubly screwed because they gave a price for the whole operation thingamabob, okay, then I get a bill in the mail for blood work. This was a month or two ago. Phone them up - oh, that's not included in the price. Okay. Then this comes along - the office fee not being included in the price they originally stated. The whole "this is what you're going to pay" versus "this is what you actually have to pay" is starting to get old mighty fast.

Oh, I am soooo going to do this next time!

Thanks Heidi. There's one clinic that charges $100 but they're chock full and won't accept patients from another doc. The other one, can you believe this (I am not kidding) charges $700 for a visit and fill. I don't think there are any other docs in my area other than that.

I'm soooo not telling you guys what I eat. You are all eating way too good!

Kristin, how on earth can you PB with no fills? You sure got your band on the sweet spot first thing!!

Got my first bill for fills. I had expected to pay $175 per fill. That's what they said it was going to be at the seminar. But they also tacked on a $53 office visit fee which was never discussed. Another clinic I phoned said they just have a flat $100 fee, whether you fill or not, so obviously all docs are different. I'm quite angry that this $53 fee was never discussed. And since my doc will only do .5 cc at a time, and I'm only at 3 cc's, it's gonna take a while for restriction = major moola. That's my main gripe. This is just an aside. I was supposed to get 90 days free fills. I mentioned that to my doc last time so he got me in a little earlier to cover that 90 days (as it was getting close to 90 days since my operation). I was actually booked for a fill 3 days past 90 days but figured the doc moved me earlier due to me asking about my free 90 days, so I thought all was Kosher. No, apparently not. When I phoned the person in charge of billing, since I was billed for this last fill, she beaked off at me, basically ranted and raved, would not let me get a word in edgewise (this was when I was still talking politely), and would not calm down. She had reacted as if I was screaming at her (which I was not). I told her well, the doc moved me ahead to be covered by the free 90 days. She said it's not up to the doc, it's up to the people at the desk. Well, if the doc already moved me up earlier to "cover" it, I just can't understand what the problem is. I know it's 3 days later, but I thought all docs have a little leeway. Anyway, this is all very confusing probably, but aside from the confusion on the 90 days I'm quite upset at how she was talking to me. About the extra office charge that was never discussed I told her, "FYI, maybe that should be discussed at your seminars." I ended up crying due to how I was treated and my 3 year old son said, and I quote, "You let me come with you to the doctor's office next time and I won't let that happen again." So it was a sweet outcome to a horrible experience with the office lady from hell.

What a great way to explain it. These are my thoughts also - chemicals are linked in such a way and some children can be affected more than others. It's like Russian roulette to know which ones will be affected until it's too late. And I agree too that we all have our opinions and moms and dads know what's right for our children. I'm not saying vaccinating is wrong, but for my child I'm not sure it's right. I believe it's all about parents choice, not some governing official somewhere with his kids already grown up and out of the house to tell ME what to do with my kid, by law. That just ticks me off. Parents know what's right for our kids!

Finally, finally, I've hit the halfway mark. Yippyy!!

I have a tattoo on my foot of a flower and I LOOOOVE it. I plan on getting a dragon on my back ( a small one) when I hit goal. That's one of my rewards

Thanks, Alyson. This is how I'm thinking too although I couldn't put it into words and express it like you have so well. Another problem I see is since governing bodies and the pharmaceutical companies have such deep pockets, it will be even longer before just us regular parents will be able to prove to the general public that links sometimes CAN exist between getting vaccines and the child developing a bad response from it.

Lorraine - actually I haven't been looking online at all, but reading many books on the subject (some authored by medical doctors). I agree with you there, that it's hard to find "the truth" online. I'm trying to find a Water filter, for example, and who exactly do you trust online? You just can't. I understand that you want to protect your child from the disease. But do you also understand all the side effects from the vaccinations? Just from the pertussis vaccine alone, you can get encephalopathy, neurologic damage, anaphylaxis, anemia, death, among others (straight from the doctor's mouth). There are a few diseases I still will vaccinate against - the risks are too high versus the side effects from the vaccine. But there are others that offer too high a risk for the relatively benign effects from the disease. As to the conspiracy theory, I had to laugh at that. I totally agree with you, it does sound like a conspiracy theory! Here is a quote from The Vaccine Guide by Randall Neustaedter OMD: "Conflict of interest abounds in the vaccine business. It starts with a government committee. The Centers for Disease Control appoints members to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which makes recommendations to the FDA." "Members of the Advisory Committee are often employed by or funded by vaccine manufacturers. Dr. John Modlin was simultaneously Chairman of the Advisory Committee, served on the Merck Immunization Advisory Board, and was a Merck shareholder. Merck is one of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers." Jachut - thanks for your understanding!! I wish I had known all I know now. I did put a lot of lotions on my boy (he has eczema), and they all had bad, bad chemicals in them. Now I know. But the damage may already be done. The list goes on of all the things I should have done. You sound like you were onto this a while ago. I wish I knew you then! And I agree, for example, in your case of a child with asthma receiving the pertussis vaccine - a kid can die trying to breath with that disease + asthma. I would like to vaccinate wholly just to avoid the debate and the doctor/school issues that arise. A guarantee there are no harmful toxins in the vaccination such as mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, etc, would give me a lot more peace of mine. That is a huge thing. Think about this - would you drink mercury? I wouldn't. Why would you inject it into a newborn baby? "Throw in the influences of conflicted-interest clinicians, inept bureaucrats, errant academics, profit-driven investors, greed crazed pharmaceutical CEOs with massive marketing powers, and you get a system out of balance, producing nostrums of limited value or dangerous side effects." Jack, you have hit the nail on the head as always, oh wise one!

Hmm, okay, but what about the relatively benign ones like chicken pox and flu. When kids get over chicken pox on their own they're immune for life. If they're vaccinated, they could get it again as adults when the vaccination is no longer effective and the disease is even worse as adults. I know there's no "proof" as in the government doing studies and saying there are links to autism, but if you listen to the testimony of parents, they have seen, literally, the light go out of their children's eyes once vaccinated with the MMR shot. This happened with another vaccine in the '80's. The parents created an uproar but weren't believed until many (too many) kids were affected by a disorder. Also, it's not just kids that are affected. There has been a lot of testimony of adults getting shots when required due to their job (health workers, people in the army), and immediately feeling ill effects from vaccinations - some effects that have lasted to date. Another thought - drug companies have a lot to gain from all these vaccinations, as do the government - the government and drug companies do seem to work hand in hand an awful lot. And what about the added toxins such as mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, etc. I have vaccinated my child so far, but since reading all the literature I'd have to be convinced there aren't any toxins included in the vaccines from now on. Just food for thought again. Not intended to pick, would just like to know others thoughts. Thanks!

Ditto to that!!

So my new area of "research" is vaccinations. I read the book by Jenny McCarthy and her autistic son, as well as many other books by doctors on the subject. FYI, the latest stat is there are 1 autistic kid in every 150 (1 in 90 for boys). Some believe it's linked to the MMR shot and their kids change around the 15 month mark when they get that shot. I'm quite sick at all the toxins found in vaccines - like formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury to name just a few. The doctors don't tell us this before we let our kids get vaccines. New moms hardly have the time to research this. I sure didn't. I remember thinking at the time I wish I had the time to look into this, but I thought well, the doctor knows what's best. Now I have the time to do my research and I wish I hadn't vaccinated as much as I did. Schools require vaccine records unless you have a medical/religious (or lucky enough to be one of the states for a philosophical) waiver. So what are your thoughts? Do you believe the law should require you to get them? Do you think schools should require them? Personally, I believe it's our right to choose. If our kids aren't vaccinated, how does that hurt the vaccinated ones anyway? Unvaccinated kids build up a natural resistance to disease and are much healthier. They develop resistance for life whereas vaccinated kids only have resistance for a few years and are susceptible to the disease as adults (when the symptoms are much worse than as children). And if there's god awful stuff put in them, just why the heck would I choose to give that to my child? The levels of mercury in shots, for example, are waaaay higher than safe levels imposed by the FDA. Just a few factoids to put out there to hem and haw over. By the way, I'm asking for sharing viewpoints, not bashings ...

This has never happened to me, but I would make sure I have a record of it for legal purposes. If he's the boss, it's your word against his. You need proof. Someone mentioned keeping a log. That's a great idea. Another thing is having a small cassette recorder on your person and if you see him approach like this, put it on record. Anything you can do to keep a record of it is going to help you. And please be careful. If he's pressuring you like this behind the scenes, he may have the courage to really corner you one day when no one is around. This should not be happening in this day and age. It sounds like something from the 70's.

Yes, it's terrible. There's a lot of endocrine disruptors and chemicals that cause cancer (among other things) found in high concentrations in baby lotions and shampoo. I could just cry when I read this, because I slathered my son with lotion since a baby due to his eczema - the regular kind, not the organic kind. Kat, I know what you mean about not thinking of it. I hadn't either until this X-mas when my b-i-l's girlfriend told me a bit. The rest I've been researching on my own since then. If your DD's baby is still in the crib, she can get a wool mattress which is 100 percent natural, and wool is a natural fire retardent (as well as natural latex), so it doesn't need all those fire retardent chemicals. If the baby's in a regular bed, then same thing - get an organic latex or wool mattress. I can let you know where we ordered ours if you'd like, or if she's interested. Believe me, she will have peace of mine if she gets one. Let me know. I've ordered an organic latex and wool mattress for my son, and my DH and I will be getting our own soon (they're expensive) due to the chemicals in regular mattresses. Just look up organic mattresses and you'll understand why everyone should get one. I think the only reason I care about all this is for my son's sake. He's only 3 and the little ones are very affected by chemicals. And it's really crazy how chemicals are all around us. We think the FDA and the doctors protect us, but they don't. I've found it's up to me to find what's healthiest for my family. The healthiest is 100 percent organic and using natural cleaners (baking soda, vinegar), 7th Generation or Ecover soap for laundry, getting a lot of plants to help filter toxins in the air, getting a whole house Water filter. The list goes on. A good example of how the doctors don't protect us: I think everyone has heard of thimerosal in vaccines linked to autism. I looked at a "natural" ear ache remedy my son had and it had mercurius solubilius in it - hmm, what's that? Mercury! Mercury is linked to autism. It's all around us. And I know I sound like a quack, but I'm not! Really! :scared2: Look at the ingredients list on anything and you'll find all kinds of toxic things. The FDA just do not look at every ingredient to make sure it's safe. I believe there's a lot more chemicals in kids these days than when we were young. Kids these days don't get outside to play, they eat horrible food with no nutrition, everything they ingest or wear is laced in chemicals. So I'm researching this for my son's sake, and I hope that I can help anyone else along the road who wants help. Sorry this got off subject. Back to the post - some may think it's rude to ask you to take off your shoes, but I don't want the chemicals in my house, on my floor that my son and dog play on. If that's rude, tough!

Yes, chemicals are everywhere - pressed wood products, glues for home projects, carpets, anything with foam (chairs, couches, mattresses). Anything in your personal care products - soap, toothpaste, deodorant, gel, shampoo, etc, have bad bad chemicals. The list just goes on and on. It's all around us but thank goodness everyone seems to be getting on the green bandwagon and catching onto all this.

The following is from grist.org - an environmental news group. A good reason for taking off your shoes. I found it looking into some things I should if trying to get pregnant, to reduce the chemicals in my body and possibly passing them along to the fetus. 6 Substance: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fun fact: Although made up of only hydrogen and carbon, there are over 100 PAH compounds. Have I been exposed to them? Chances are darn good that if you are reading this on a computer, you're in an environment where you've been exposed to PAHs. How the hell did that happen? Because they resist degradation in the environment, PAHs are sometimes grouped under POPs. PAHs are typically products of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels like wood, coal, oil, and gasoline -- that's soot to you and me -- and are also found in coal tar, which is often used to make pavement sealer. Burning tobacco -- those veils of secondhand smoke we all walk through these days -- also creates PAHs. And they're in charred meat. Risks: Exposure to PAHs in utero has been shown to cause damage to DNA, chromosomal changes, and increased risk for childhood cancers such as leukemia. One study found that such exposure might trigger prenatal development of leukemia. Scary! So how do I avoid this crap? Common sense suggests taking off your shoes at the door to avoid tracking PAHs into the house, doing your best to not inhale secondhand smoke, eschewing charred meat, and taking whatever actions you can to support clean energy generation. The EPA only regulates discharges of PAHs into waterways from industrial operations. Watch for action at the state and local level, such as the Austin, Texas, ban on coal-tar-based pavement sealants enacted in January 2006. (Asphalt contains a far lower concentration of PAHs, and some newer sealants are touted as virtually PAH-free.)

I'll probably send mine to the people hit by the Arkansas tornadoes.

Ah, the closet. Well, I had a huge surprise. I went through all the clothes I'd saved from losing weight 5 years ago or so. I can get into my fat skinny jeans, if that makes any sense - the smallest jeans I got into - which makes absolutely no sense because I'm 20 pounds heavier now than I was then. The NSV that makes me smile is I can go up and down the stairs without making them creak.

Being under 200 - MAJOR MAJOR achievement - a mental achievement. The nineties coasted by. Now I'm in eightyville!!!!! I love my band.

Well, I went for my third fill and found out I have way less than I thought. I currently have 3 cc's in a 10 cc band. But I do feel, if not restricted, a lot less hungry. Like, I can go a long time on very little food, but if I eat out of head hunger I can still chow down without restriction. But the head hunger is not nearly as bad now - I have a more satisfied feeling, quite full a lot, and I've lost a pound since the fill on Tuesday. And I saw the 180's again! Yeah me! Linda

Oh, I HATE that! I totally agree with this sentiment about commercials - or those ads at the back of magazines which show a 30 pound weightloss and they don't really look any different. That is a pet peev of mine. Trixie, I am not going to bash you on this rant and I think everyone could tone it down a bit. Personally, I love the before and after pics. And I really like your new fairy pic! It's cute. Kat - you've got my interest piqued. I'm going to look into vacationing in Albuquerque now. Hey, we should start a vacation thread - places people have lived or vacationed that they could recommend. Linda

She will pray for your mortal soul? What, is it immoral to get a LapBand too? We're not just lazy (sarcasm) but in danger of going to hell over it? (rolling eyes) Or is she praying in case you die from it? I don't get it. What does pray for your mortal soul mean anyway? Geez Louise! People are crazy. You should have sicked security on her.